Suggestions for Garden Bloggers' Book Club March Selection

Hi, all. I am seeking suggestions for a book to read for the Garden Bloggers' Book Club in March. For February, we are reading Two Gardeners. This month, January, we are reading Teaming with Microbes. Anyone have any ideas? The only criteria is the book should be of interest to gardeners and be fairly available either through libraries or on Amazon. And if there are used copies through Amazon that are inexpensive, that's good, too.

Thanks,
Carol at May Dreams Gardens

I'm still pushing for a book on the tulip frenzy, either Tulipomania or The Tulip. Tulipomania gets better reviews on Amazon. Unless you want to wait until later in the spring to read a book on bulbs.

I would like to read either A Year at North Hill or Living Seasonally: The Kitchen Garden and the Table at North Hill. The Omnivore's Dilemma would be great, but maybe wait until it's in paperback. I just finished The $64 Tomato, which was pretty darn funny. I'm probably one of the only people who hasn't read The Orchid Thief, although I read the original New Yorker article and saw the movie.

The movie is nothing like the book. I found the book fascinating, and I hated the movie.

I read Tulipomania and found it very dry.

Make that two of us. I have neither read the book, The Orchid Thief nor seen the movie.

I just love A year at North Hill. It may be the only book that I own more than one copy of. But I wonder if southern gardeners would appreciate it as much? I think it is good literature as well as a good gardening book, but so many of the details in the book that resonate with me have to do with seasonal changes, which are different in a southern garden. That's why I hesitate to suggest it as a selection.

I just came from our local Barnes and Noble bookstore, and ran across a new book, just published in February called 'Beautiful Madness' by James Dodson. It looked very interesting, and thought that I might get it on the list of suggestions for the book club.

I am back after checking Amazon, and it seems that the book has been out for some time, and can be purchased for pennies at the used book sites.

Consider it added to this list. Has anyone read Beautiful Madness? I do like to find books that can be purchased used.

Carol at May Dreams Gardens

I have just purchased Beautiful Madness from Amazon. As a person who spent her work career working in other people's gardens, I can't wait to read this book. I am now retired (1 year) and am going through a bit of spring withdrawal - thinking of my garden instead of someone else's - not a bad pursuit. Thus, I am reading Why We Garden by Jim Nollman and A Philosophy of Gardens by David E. Cooper. The Cooper book is a bit academic but beautifully written. The discussion of the tension between Art and Nature is as old as gardening itself. Cooper might even get me to read Heidegger again (maybe).

I will read Beautiful Madness as the March selection. Thank you.

I would love to read Beautiful Madness for the April,(don't we already have a March selection) book club. It really looked interesting when I looked through it at Barnes and Noble. I will get one ordered from the used book sites.

I'll add Beautiful Madness to the list, perhaps for June/July. The book for March is The Gardener's Year and for April/May it is Passalong Plants. But the good thing about the Garden Bloggers' Book Club is not many rules, so a review of a book that is different than the one chosen is fine to do.

I usually like to come up with an alternative way for people to participate if they can't read or find the book chosen. I've not figured that alternative out with the current book, but perhaps it will just be that it is fine to review any book that talks about the gardener as much as the gardens and plants. And it sounds like Beautiful Madness is about the people who garden, so that fits.

See, I'm easy! I just like for people to read a few garden books and share about them!

Indy, I'm easy too. I just ordered The Gardener's Year and will give it a try. I still cannot garden yet (last week's snow is this week's melting ice) so I am still stuck indoors.

I am going to look up Passalong Plants. That reminds me of my grandmother's friendship border. Nice.